Redbox Code 03.31.07

Today's free code for a Redbox movie is JM17RS. This code is good for one free movie and you can use it until midnight tonight. Enjoy a free family movie together!

Side Notes:

- If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

- When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, "Rent with Promo." Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

Family Night: Earth Hour

I had been looking forward to Earth Hour all week and sharing this experience with my family. We talked to Ethan about why we were celebrating Earth Hour and how much fun we were going to have. Since Earth Hour was between 8-9 PM, it was a special treat for the kids to stay up late and spend the hour with us.


The kids took a bath by candlelight, which they thought was a super fun treat! We filled the tub with lots of bubbles and threw in a couple of whisks and spoons from the kitchen. They whisked up bubbles to their hearts delight and sang fun songs by candlelight.

Ethan thought he looked pretty cool in front of the candles so he took some time out of his busy schedule to pose!

After our baths, we enjoyed a yummy snack while Ryan & I made shadow puppets on the wall for the kids. They thought these were hilarious and super cool!


Ethan had so much fun, he asked if we could celebrate Earth Hour every day! This gave me an opportunity to share with him easy ways he could celebrate AND save the earth. We talked about doing our recycling, turning the lights off when we aren't in a room, and not being wasteful. Since this family night was such a hit, I hope we can do it with the kids again. Not only did the kids have a blast, but it was super frugal, while being extremely memorable for all of us!

Sound Off: Did you celebrate Earth Hour? How did you celebrate it?

Those Bodacious Blueberry Muffins

This weekend I made Emily's, from the wonderful Loria Family Dialogues, Bodacious Blueberry Muffins for a snack. I happened to have some of my crumb topping in the freezer so I added a sprinkle of that on top of each of these.

Wow! These were delicious! I think I might mix up some of the dry ingredients, just like I do for my dinners in a bag, for a quick snack to take to playgroups or potlucks.

With the crumb topping, they tasted like a yummy Blueberry Buckle- delicious! I hope you can try these and a big thanks to Emily for such a wonderful recipe! Now I just need to convince my children and husband that blueberry muffins are delicious (weird people!)

Sunday Savings

Baby Cheapskate shares how to you can save an additional $1 off of each package of Huggies Jumbo Diapers.

Freebies 4 Mom shares some fun sweepstakes you can enter- check for this every Saturday on her blog!

Mimi's Jewel Box has an entry on how you can get 5 Michael Angelo meals for free (after the purchase of 5 meals).

Money Saving Mom tells you the deals this week for CVS & Walgreens- check here before doing your shopping!

Centsible Shopper tells you how to double-dip your rebates. (Thanks Hooray for Free-bates for this tip!)

Earth Hour: A Family Night to Remember

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.

Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships–Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

We invite everyone throughout North America and around the world to turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8 p.m. (your own local time)–whether at home or at work, with friends and family or solo, in a big city or a small town. You can sign up today!

What will you do when the lights are off? Visit Crunchy Domestic Goddess for some great ideas for a family night or even a date night with your spouse!

We are planning to participate this year and I hope you will join me!

A Cool Tool for Chores

To go along with our discussion on rewards programs and chores, my husband happened upon Handipoints, an online program that you can utilize to get your kids to accomplish their chores.

It is set up with a virtual world where they earn points to get things for their very own character!

From TechCrunch:

"Founder Viva Chu started Handipoints in January 2007 with the notion that chore charts would be both more fun and more effective if they were moved online. So he created a site with two main parts: one that helped parents track how their kids helped out around the house, and another that consisted of a virtual world on par with the other pseudo-3D services kids have come to enjoy.

These two parts work closely with one another to create sufficient incentives for kids to do their work. When kids successfully complete activities (such as cleaning their room, taking out the trash, or even brushing their teeth and eating an apple), they gain either of two types of points: so-called “handipoints” that can be redeemed for real-world items such as Nerf guns and toys; and “bonus points” that can be used to buy virtual goods in the online world. Parents determine which type of point, and how many of them, is rewarded for good behavior.

Setting up a system for kids to redeem points for physical goods (or money) was easy enough; all they had to do was hook up Amazon’s APIs and create a custom storefront. But a significant effort has gone into creating an entirely new and appealing virtual world, one that’s replete with different settings, activities, items, and other users.

Like Webkinz, kids can walk around the virtual world and talk to each other using canned chat (where you pick statements from a list instead of typing them). This prevents inappropriate behavior. The graphics are impressive and the functionality is rather sophisticated. In addition to buying items and socializing, users can play in-world games and watch movies (these require points, too).

Most of the service’s virtual goods are free, but the company plans on making money through selling premium goods to parents who want to make them available for their kids."

I thought this was such a cool concept that I had to share! This might be a fun way to reward chores for kids in the tween category!

MomAdvice Weekly Recap 03.28.08

Here is this week's round-up of fun activity. There was a lot going on this week, but lots of great discussion. We talked about our gardens, our parenting woes and solutions, and are still working on all of that spring cleaning. Anyone else feel like their house is going back to square one?

I hope you will check out what we have been up to! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!


Featured Article:

Spring Cleaning for Today's Mom- With spring comes all of the beauty of the changing season. We finally began to see our grass; we enjoy seeing the new buds on our trees, and the sweet smell of a good April shower. What also comes along is the dreaded ritual of spring cleaning. Maybe you went through this awful experience as a child. Your mother would be pulling all the linens, washing the drapes, deep cleaning every nook and cranny of your home and then collapse after a full day of cleaning. I don’t remember this as being a fun ritual for our family and have decided to try a different method of cleaning in our own home.... Continue Reading

Blog Entries for Fun & Discussion:

How Does Your Garden Grow? - I am looking forward to spring, as the snow piles again on the ground, and wanted to discuss gardening plans this year. I also share a list of some great posts that I have read recently on making the most of the gardening season this year... Continue Reading

A Truthful Journey & Then a Party- Next month will be the last credit card payment that I hopefully will ever have to make. I am looking for ideas for throwing a debt-free party and am opening the floor up to you...Continue Reading

Just Call Me Ticketmaster- We are trying a new reward system in our house, thanks to a great reader tip and a fabulous book that I read. We are trying to overcome our discipline problems with some good old-fashioned beatings... just kidding, some positive parenting....Continue Reading

We Need to Work on Our Letters- Ethan is really interested in reading and writing so I shared some things that have worked for us and opened the floor up to discuss what tools you have used to help your children learn to write their letters...Continue Reading

You Discuss: Are Rewards Systems a Bad Idea? - We are having an honest discussion on whether rewards systems are a good tool in parenting? Do you agree with these or not... Continue Reading


Don't miss a single entry and subscribe to my feeds! We have made it easy for you to do it- you are just a click away!

Giving Away the Mother Load!

Another giveaway? Say it isn't so? This time I am picking ten winners for an amazing prize from Duracell! Each winner will win a set of rechargeable batteries and a portable charger. Head over to The Mother Loot and enter today!! Be sure to read our review on their awesome product!

New Real Mom Reviews:

Ticklebug Changing Kit

dunkluv biscotti

Featured Recipe of the Week:

Better Than Pam Spray

Forum Discussions:

This is Spring Break week for my kids. We have been having fun without spending much money. A trip somewhere wasn't an option, so we have been doing something fun here everyday... Join the Discussion

I am a first time mom and my daughter is now almost 17 months old. She is showing just about all the signs that she is ready for potty training. My dilemma is that from now until August this year we are going to be doing a lot of traveling, in the car and by plane, and I am not sure this is the best time to start. We have bought a small potty for her and have been getting her acclimated to it. She continually tries to pull her diaper off and lets us know that she is going pee pee or poo poo. She does not let us know that she has to, only when she is going. I am afraid that with all the traveling it will be too much stress on her and on us to potty train her now. She will also be starting daycare in August for socialization. She just loves other children. What do you guys think??... Join the Discussion


Play it Again, Momma!

Did you miss these posts the first time around? Here they are for your reading pleasure!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

The Poor & The Sick

Lower Your House Payment

Creative Toy Replacements

How We Accomplish a $50 Grocery Budget


Not enough of me yet?

WSBT: Planning a Cheap Getaway

Frugal Hacks: Quit Being a One Woman Show

Blissfully Domestic: Repurposing the Sandbox

The Daily Special: Spring Cleaning & Healthy Eating

Kenmore: Make Meal Planning Easier

Kenmore: Make Family Meal Planning Easier

I promised I would share when my first article was up on the Kenmore site and it is finally on there! You can read my tips for making family meal planning easier on their website. I hope that you will find some helpful tips in there for your family!

Next month, I will be sharing tips for green cleaning in the home!

Do you have a question for the make-it-simple team or tips and ideas to share? Send them to makeitsimple@searshc.com. Each month, our experts will respond to select questions and we'll post select user tips and ideas. If we respond to your question or post your tip, you may receive a $10 Sears gift card. Send yours today!

Freebie Friday: March 28, 2008

A big thanks to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for helping share some of her freebies with our readers. Heather has an awesome website and I love her post this week on using coupons at Bed, Bath, & Beyond or at Linens & Things. Check Heather's site all week long for some excellent freebies!

Health & Beauty

Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Liquid Foundation (Walmart sample)

Gold Bond Ultimate Restoring Lotion (Walmart sample)

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser

Stetson Fresh (cologne for men)

Food

Seattle's Best Coffee

Fiber One Caramel Delight (Walmart sample)

McCormick Consumer Tester

Vacations Magazine

Margaritaville House Party (apply to be accepted to host a party)

Entertainment

Adobe Photoshop Express

Children's Songs Personalized with First Name (short list, but check it for your child's name!)

Free admission to Adventures in Travel Expo (Enter promo Code: NGFREE. This is at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C from 3/29/08-3/30/08)

Home & Garden

Kohls Save $5 on $5 purchase (when you sign-up for sale alerts)

Swingline Optima Desk Stapler (for taking survey)

Pet Care

Maine-Made Dog Biscuits

Mark your calendars!! Receive a one-on-one beauty makeover from ULTA’s beauty consultants and learn how to get the latest looks with some of the best brands. Plus, you’ll receive deluxe samples from participating brands* to help you start off the season in style. Book your appointment now.
March 28 • Smashbox & NeoStrata
March 29 • Bare Escentuals, MD Formulations & Murad
March 30 • Stila & Fusion Beauty

Mark your calendars!! Starting March 4, 2008, bring the April 2008 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any Aéropostale store to receive one (1) “Miss Save the World” tank top (approximate retail value: $19.50 each). Forty thousand (40,000) will be given away. One per person. Giveaway ends April 8, 2008. While supplies last.

Mark your calendars!! Free ink refills will be available at Walgreens on April 2, 2008. They do not refill any Epson or Canon cartridges, but they do fill a number of Lexmark, HP, and Dell. Call your local Walgreens to find out if they fill your cartridge. You get 1 color OR black free refill per person so if you need two cartridges filled, bring a friend or you have to pay for the second one. Also, this deal is VERY popular, so don't go in on free day thinking you'll get your cartridge back soon. It's usually returned to you later that day, even up to 24 hours-3+ days for busier stores. (Thank you My Coupons)

Here's to the Heroes!!
Complimentary admission for active duty military representing all five service branches, active members of a reserve or National Guard unit, and/or up to three direct dependants. Valid for one complimentary single-day admission per person, per year, to one of the following Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks:
o SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio
o Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
o Sesame Place
o Aquatica
o Adventure Island
o Water Country USA
Offer valid between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2008. Operating days and hours vary by park.
Please check with specific park for current operating schedule. Visit their site for more details!

Starting April 8, 2008, bring the May 2008 cover of Seventeen or a printout of the seventeen.com home page to any Steve & Barry’s store to receive one (1) Rose Ring in the color of your choice from the Dear by Amanda Bynes Spring ’08 collection (approximate retail value: $8.98 each). Ten thousand (10,000) will be given away. One per person. Giveaway ends May 8, 2008. While supplies last. Visit their site for more details!

April 12 - YMCA Healthy Kids Day

April 19 - Walmart 1 Million Reuseable Bag Giveaway starts at 8 am

April 29 - Ben & Jerrys 30th Annual Free Cone Day

April 30 - 31 Cent Scoop Night at Baskin-Robbins to honor America's firefighters

********************************
Another giveaway? Say it isn't so? This time I am picking ten winners for an amazing prize from Duracell! Each winner will win a set of rechargeable batteries and a portable charger. Head over to The Mother Loot and enter today!! Be sure to read our review on their awesome product!

You Discuss: Are Reward Systems Bad Ideas?

We are having a fun discussion on a rewards program that I have decided to start with my son. You can read our story here and our great day yesterday.

I did get some comments that I thought would be fun to discuss. Trust me, that if you do not agree with implementing a rewards system in your home that I completely respect that. After all, this is our first attempt trying something like this. What I had been doing was not working so that is why we are making these efforts.

Here were some of the questions that people had:

Question:
I had a question that maybe other commenters can help with. Does there come a time where the tangible rewards no longer matter so much and you phase out the charts, etc.? I'm thinking it may take a certain maturity level which would vary widely, I'm sure, but I just wasn't sure if once you start this system you'll be following it for years? Thanks!

Question:
This sounds wonderful and a lot of fun even. But I'm hesitant to try it for 3 reasons so I would LOVE to see more people post how this works out for them.

1) What do you do when tickets aren't enough incentive? Those days compliance just isn't happening? I'd still have to build a whole lot of "just in case" time into our routine?

2) Would this undo the things my son does just because he knows its right to do and make him start thinking there should be a reward for every little thing? When I was having a back problem it was really painful to buckle ds into his booster seat so I bribed him with a toy he'd been wanting (a pokemon ball) - "if you buckle yourself into the car every trip for a week you can have it." A plan born of desperation when I realized I couldn't lean over and pull the buckle across him when I needed to be somewhere and my back was spazzing and I knew he could but was being difficult. When it came time to go pick it out he wanted two. I told him no but he could figure out a way to earn the other one and all of a sudden he wanted to earn it simply by doing things he's been doing "right" all along. So I set another challenge - tying his shoes. For this I pick behaviors/skills I'm pretty sure he is totally capable of but being stubborn about. So when the week of belt-buckling was over and he tried to regress it was "Nu-uh, no way mister, I KNOW you can do it."

3) Is there burn-out with this? My son had a chore chart to earn some things he was pestering me for. It lasted about a week and then he didn't want the things anymore. And when we were taking away toys because he wouldn't pick them up he could earn them back by having a no-timeout day at school but then he wised up, quit losing the toys by cleaning up always but school is still if-y. He even can earn $ for helpful things (beyond things he should be doing for himself anyway) but he just doesn't care about some of that stuff so I find myself having to constantly reinvent praises, consequences, etc. so I've gotten to the point I seem severe because I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I think maybe thats why I like this plan - easy to update and adapt and keep "interesting"?

I don't like where we are though so I'm willing to give anything a try. So I'll be watching this one!

Question:
So what happens when he gets older and is simply doing what he is supposed to, and doesn't get a reward? Should doing those things that are basic daily living activities come with any reward other than that which the activity itself gives? Life deals positive and negative reinforcements, whether we like it or not. Shouldn't the discipline of our children be similar? The idea of making the good and bad consequences known for a task seems to make much more sense for me. Where there is no risk, there is no reward.

My Answer:
I just want to begin by stating that this program and techniques were backed after years and years of research and come straight from the 2008 president of the American Psychological Association and head of the Yale Parenting Center.

This system is focusing on a defiant child who does not want to cooperate in the home. It is meant to reinforce positive behavior in your child.

Our children will all one day have to go out in the real world and get a job. When my son goes to his job, he will be paid for his hard work. If he doesn't go to work, he will lose money and not be able to buy the things he wants. This is the same with this ticket program and will teach him that he will be rewarded for the good things he does, not only with the tickets which will earn him the right to gain a privilege in the home, but also that he will be praised and recognized for the good stuff he is doing. It is a form of positive parenting and I think there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a positive mommy. What I was doing was not working for me.

If the idea of "you do what you are supposed to" works for people, I am all for that! We are talking about parenting a five year old child who isn't doing anything he is supposed to and can become volatile at times when he is forced to do things. I don't intend to give him tickets when he is a teenager, but I think a ticket or reward system is ideal for giving our children the building blocks they need to learn how to behave. My hope is that through a program like this (again with years of research backed on it) that my child will grow up into a successful young man who was raised in a positive environment. Who can fault a family for that?

And what seem daily living activities to us (for example, going to school) are difficult for my son and I am teaching him a positive reward for doing the things he doesn't like or does not want to do. We are teaching him how rewarding it can be to do what we are supposed to!

I would definitely recommend checking out the book, if you are truly interested, because it explains it a lot better than I ever could!

I also want to add that the book does have chapters devoted towards negative behavior and how to deal that. For our age range, it is a time-out where they get no attention at all. Another negative consequence is not getting any tickets or attention for doing bad things.

The Daily Special & Free Coffee

Check out my interview on The Daily Special! I am around 2:05 in the segment and I share some tips for spring cleaning and healthy eating!

A big thanks to Elastic Waist for including me on their site!

While you are waiting for that to load, you can pick up some free coffee. A big thank you to Heather, from Freebies 4 Mom, for alerting us that this freebie was available!


PS- I loved that they included a picture of me in my red coat! You know you can't resist!

Ticket to Slide

I was banking on my son being just like me when I had added Wii & Leapster Games as a smoking deal for 200 tickets. I was the child who couldn't hold a dollar in my pocket for longer than five minutes and, lucky for me, my son is the same exact way. He can't wait to burn through those tickets. We have already cashed in for two bonus bedtime books last night and a rocking game of Chutes & Ladders with mommy this afternoon.

Thursdays are my hard day with Ethan and our mornings on this day are always challenging. Part of the reason has been that they do treasure chest at school with a similar system in place of gold cards (for good behavior) and red cards (for bad behavior) and I think that it bothers him when he doesn't get to go to the treasure chest, as just the star student gets to go. The other reason this morning has been difficult is because it is the last day of school in his week and I think he just tired. I have a hard time myself on Thursdays so I think he would just rather be home.

This morning I tiptoed in and told him it was time to get ready for school. It was the typical no response and pulling the covers over his head. I headed downstairs and made his breakfast and then peeked in again. This time I said, "Ethan, I know this is a hard day for you and I want to reward you for doing your best today. If you get up and get ready, I am going to give you four tickets." His eyes flew open and he rolled over to throw on his clothes. Would you believe that my boy, MY CHILD, was waiting in the car for us before I even had myself or his sister in the car? My child? My child sitting sweetly with his seat belt on, backpack packed, shoes and coat on all by himself. You know what else he said? He said he loved school? My son? My child?

Our other source of difficulty has been leaving places that he enjoys being at. We have had some very embarrassing tantrums at playgroups and family member's homes. We have a playdate planned with my sister tomorrow so I thought I would talk to him about it. In the same rah-rah cheerleader voice, I told him that we were going to go to his cousin's house and I know it is hard to leave there so I want to give him tickets for leaving nicely. He would get four tickets for leaving when I asked. Would you believe that he asked if we could practice it? All the way to school, I pretended like we were leaving and he practiced being sweet.

I know we have only been doing this a few days, but my husband looked at me last night and said, "This is not the same kid." He was running downstairs to feed our cat, scraping his dishes off and resting them by the sink, and picking up his toys without a fight.

Best of all, the tickets he has been redeeming give me time with just him. I feel honored that he wants to spend ten tickets on playing a game with me, not on buying something. I told him how much it meant to me too because it really does.

I want to be a good mom and I try to be a good mom. It is hard for me to share when I feel like I am not being a good mom. I am human though and I struggle. When these moments come along where I feel like we are doing something right...well, it just feels good!

I am so full of hope right now!

Amy's Notebook 03.27.08

I want to try some of these homemade car cleaning products (@ Gather Little By Little)

I love these frugal Spring Break activities you could do at home (@ Frugal Dad)

This strawberry pie recipe sounds delicious (@ Cake Maker to the Stars)

I love online tutorials- here is one on applying bias tape using your sewing machine (@ Angry Chicken)

This table re-do is too cute- I love the bows at the end (@ Notes from a Cottage Industry)

I love this extra long curtain rod and the look it brings to a room (@ Shelterrific)

I want to try these oatmeal waffles (@ With All I've Been Given)

I am going to make these blueberry muffins (@ The Loria Family Dialogues)

I like these tips for making your own colored sugars (@ The Kitchn)

These buttery cocoa wafers look delicious too (@ Looking Towards Heaven)

This vintage pillowcase lunch bag is the cutest thing ever (@ Oh, Frasson)

I love this paper scroll table and so would my children (@ ohdeedoh)

These are some cute teacher appreciation ideas (@ Skip to My Lou )

This is providing some much needed organization inspiration to our playroom space (@ Nesting Place)

I love this idea for making nature journals (@ Chocolate On My Cranium)

I am breaking out the whisk at bath time (@ Parent Hacks)

Looks like an old-school tuna melt or a grilled portebello sandwich for me for lunch next week (@ Divine Domesticity)

A new hobby I need to learn- knitting baby stuff (@ Frugal Upstate)

Here is another cute idea for a change jar (@ Motherhood for Dummies)

Just Call Me Ticketmaster

I have been having parenting difficulties with my 5 year-old. He is an extremely sweet boy, but he is extremely strong-willed and he does not like going to school. This has been going on all year, but it has taken an extremely bad turn and he is becoming more physical (and more physically impossible) to battle with to make him go to school. Tuesday morning was the straw that broke the camel's back, because our morning was the worst we had ever had together. I have even found myself having scary Mommy Dearest moments where I am yelling my head off at him and he is hitting me, screaming, and refusing to get in the car. I won't go into all of the trauma, but I dreaded school mornings. He simply did not want to go to school and I did not know what to do. After a tearful talk with his teacher that day, I realized that something needed to change in our house.

Keep in mind that I tried everything that I could- getting him up earlier, eliminating distractions, and giving him warnings that it is nearing time to go, talking to him about what might be bothering him about school, frequent discussions with his teacher about behavior and what could be going on. You know, all the good stuff that the "experts" encourage. No matter what I did though, we were starting our mornings with tears and battles.

I came home on Tuesday feeling defeated. Was it something I did that caused this? Why was I letting my temper get the best of me? Did I fail in disciplining him?

I picked up a book that I got from the library about parenting strong-willed children entitled, "The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child." I sat down and poured a cup of coffee and read, and read, and read. I got excited in that hour about all that I could do as a parent. I realized that I didn't have to be a negative mom, I could be a positive parent. The book was filled with tips on positive parenting and how to create positive solutions for your children. The main focus was on creating a point system for good behavior and focusing on positive praise to get positive results.

Dr. Kazdin suggests implementing a chart in the home to award points to your child for the things you want them to do (in our case, go to school without a fight). His system reminded me of another system that our reader, Jodi, had shared about using raffle tickets and points for completing chores in our awesome chore discussion. Go back to that post and take a peek- her advice was right on par with the good doctor's recommendations.

I piled the kids in the car and forked over a few bucks for raffle tickets and pumped up the program to my son. It was recommended, in the book that I read, to throw in some theater or use your cheerleader voice (depending on what kind of person you were in high school, I guess)

Me: Ethan, We are going to try something NEW!

Ethan: (suspiciously) What kind of new thing?

Me: We are going to get TICKETS for doing GREAT stuff and you can EARN AWESOME THINGS for going to school and doing your chores.

Ethan: (still suspicious) What kind of things?

Me: Oh, whatever kinds of things you like...games, movies, ice cream...

Ethan: I like Wii games

Me: Well, that might be something you could work towards, but um, those are a lot of money...But we can TRY! Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah! Gooooo Team!

That is all it took to get him on board. We sat down and put together a list of activities that I wanted him to do around the house and a list of his rewards. We used a recycled coffee container for official ticket storage and worked all day the next day on putting together a fabulous chart of activities that he could do.

Ethan's chart is a picture chart, since he is not reading just yet. I pulled all of the images from Microsoft's clip art collection. Ethan picked each of the pictures and we cut them out, mounted them on cardboard and wrote number values in the corners of each picture. I have to say, we were both pretty proud with the finished product.

Ethan has one page of things he has to do to earn tickets and two pages of awesome rewards. We have them hanging on the refrigerator and he has been checking it and counting tickets like nuts for the past two days.

Earn Tickets:

Going to School Nicely- 3 tickets
Make My Bed- 1 ticket
Put breakfast dishes in the sink- 1 ticket
Pick up toys before bed- 3 tickets
Go to Bed Nicely- 1 ticket
Feed the cat- 1 ticket
Help Mommy With Laundry- 3 tickets

Rewards:

Get to Read an Extra Book- 5 tickets
Go to the Library- 10 tickets
Pick What to Eat for Dinner- 10 tickets
Get a Movie- 10 tickets
Play a Game With Mom or Dad- 10 tickets
Rent a Video Game- 20 tickets
1 Hour of Computer Time- 25 tickets
Pick and Make a Snack With Mommy- 25 tickets
Go to the Dollar Movie- 30 tickets
Stay up 1 Hour Late- 35 tickets
Get Ice Cream- 35 tickets
Go Bowling- 100 tickets
Wii or Leapster Game- 200 tickets
Go to the Dinosaur Museum- 200 tickets

In the book, they encourage you to not take away points, but tell your child that it is fine if they don't want to do A, B, or C, but they will not get the points they need to get rewards. The book also reviews other forms of punishment, like time-outs and how to make them effective when disciplining your child. There is also an entire system of practicing what you need your child to do (basically acting out the parts of what you want to occur), praising your child for the pretend scenarios, then having them really do, and then rewarding them with points and praise that involve a hug, a high-five, or a pat on the back.

If you are struggling with your child as I have been, you might want to check out the book! The Appendix of the book has a chart divided between age groups for activities that you could add to your charts and fun rewards that your child can earn.

What I truly mean to say though is thank you for all of your invaluable comments. I try to help be a source of encouragement over here, but your systems and thoughtful discussions are such a great encouragement to me as well! Big thanks to Jodi for her thoughtful solution- I hope this will help someone else out there. From one Mommy Dearest to another!

Sound Off: Do you use charts in your house? How do you implement positive parenting in your house?

Taking A Day Off, But...

I am taking a day off from our spring cleaning series, but you can get lots of ideas for cleaning and printables for your tasks from my post yesterday.

I got an unexpected opportunity to share about going green with my mom's group so I spent yesterday afternoon preparing for that and then spent the evening hanging out with my great friends!

This morning, I got to do an interview with Elastic Waist (which will be posted tomorrow at noon!) and share some tips and ideas for spring cleaning your home. What an honor to score an interview with them! The remainder of my evening was spent preparing for that.

I will finish out this week and then will probably take some time off from the series with spring break approaching and a mini-vacation for me next week!

If you are looking for more material from me today- you can check out my post on Frugal Hacks on simplifying entertaining or find me on Blissfully Domestic sharing ideas for repurposing the sandbox.

PS- Are there any other mommy bloggers heading to NJ for the Johnson & Johnson Camp Baby event? Please let me know! That is where I will be next week!

We Need to Work On Our Letters

Ethan hands me this piece of paper (shown above)

Ethan: Well?

Me: What?

Ethan: Read the letter.

Me: Um, what does it say?

Ethan: (big sigh) It says, "Get me some cheese crackers."

Me: I think it needs to say, "Please."

Ethan: I can't spell that word yet.

Me: Well, we will need to work on our letters then.

We are at a fun stage, developmentally speaking, with Ethan. He is taking an interest in writing and putting together words. I can see the beginning stages of reading in our future although the spelling of words can get pretty tedious as we have to write everything out together.

He really enjoys copying words off of boxes and in the books that he reads. The writing backwards thing is still working itself out, but he is doing so much better than he was. I think part of this still has to do with him being left-handed. Just a mommy theory though!

To help Ethan with his letters, we made a trip to the library and found a movie produced by the hooligans who take all my money (also known as the LeapFrog company). The movie is called, "The Letter Factory" and is all about teaching children their letters and their letter sounds.

I popped the movie in and watched the wonders of letters come to life with them. It was smartly written and reminded me of Richard Scarry and his tactics for teaching children their letters. It was so good that I made my husband sit down and watch it with us. We both were in amazement at how well it was written and the smart ways that they helped kids learn their letter sounds. The letter E for example was an old man who made the "Ehhhh" sound. The letter L licked a lollipop and made the "Llll" sound as he licked. In short, it was all the images and learning techniques that made the process of learning their letter sounds fun again.

Emily, at two, has been chanting all of her letter sounds to anyone who will listen. I went to Ethan's parent teacher conference and had the teacher told me that out of all the children in the class, Ethan was the only one who knew all of his letter sounds. He learned all of those from that movie- I can't even take credit for it.

The kids loved it and watched it for three weeks, until it had to be returned to the library. I applied a gift card and Easter money towards the entire five collection set from the company and am eagerly awaiting their arrival as much as my kids.

I thought I would share this experience because I always appreciate when other parents point out to me products that really work, especially when it comes to educating my children. We are just in the beginning stages though and I am sure others have some great recommendations.

Sound Off: As we venture into this new world of reading and spelling, I am interested in finding out what tools you used to help your children. Are there any sites that you frequent for printables? Do you have any book or movie recommendations? How do you foster a love for reading in your kids?

WSBT-TV: Planning for a Cheap Getaway

Today on WSBT, I share some tips and tricks for planning an inexpensive getaway with your family. I suggest some frugal alternatives for vacations and ways to make some memories for your family on a budget.

Sound Off: What are your plans this year for Spring Break? How are you making your travels more affordable?

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Last year was my first year attempting to garden. Despite my black thumb and my so-so efforts to find a good place to plant, I still had plenty of herbs and tomatoes to choose from. I enjoyed a BLT (made with that yummy faux turkey) with a homemade peppermint mocha almost every day of the summer and I was so thankful that I could pick those tomatoes out of my very own yard thankyouverymuch after seeing the prices at the grocery store. Ridiculous!

My dream was to supply the whole block with produce from my garden. Oh the shame, that I only had one bowl of tomatoes on any given day and very little to share. No baskets of produce overflowing, but I was so grateful to have my bowl of tomatoes to enjoy on my salad and for my sandwiches.

Year two and I am looking forward to another year playing in dirt, but this year I am going to make more of an effort and actually dig up some grass for a sunny spot in our yard. The spot I planted in lacked enough sunshine to get the perfect tomatoes although my parsley grew into giant shrubs while basking in all of that shade.

Here are some links I have been enjoying while doing my gardening research:

How to Build a Square Foot Garden (@ Frugal Dad)

Planting a Kitchen Garden (@ The Kitchn)

Recycle Stuff for Your Garden (@ Nature Moms)

Container Gardening (@ Frugal Life)

More on Building a Square Foot Garden (@ Being Frugal)

Time to Start the Seeds (@ You Grow Girl)

A Total Garden Transformation (@ The Lylah Blog)

Make Your Own Compost Bin- Easy (@ Shakyard)



Sound Off: Do you garden? What will you be planting this year? Have the rising grocery prices determined how much you will be doing this year? Share your thoughts!

Spring Cleaning: Organizing The Bookshelves

Yesterday we spent time organizing our entertainment units and our media. Today we are going to focus on another area common to many family rooms- the bookshelves.

We have two bookshelves in our home and then another bookshelf built-in that resides in our office. I am really good about using our local library though so unless I find a book that I just have to have, I usually limit our book purchases and take advantage of the free service instead.

I worship our library, I would build a shrine to it if I could! I am a big library dork and even subscribe to our libraries blog so I can get the latest information on any books that are coming out or library events. I feel self-confident enough to admit that I am obsessed with my library.

If your home is overrun with books though, there are lots of great sites where you can share and swap books with others. This might be a great way to not add to your collection, but share the collection you already have without buying more.

PaperBack Swap

BookMooch (this site also allows for charitable donations of books to prisoners)

bookins

SwapTree

2Swap

BookCrossing

Frugal Reader

You could also donate these to Goodwill, schools, hospitals, and churches. Call around and see if anyone is interested! If all else fails, check out Freecycle or Craigslist for passing those books on.

Today's Printable:

Spring Cleaning Your Family Room Day Two

In Case You Missed It (Previous Printables):

Spring Cleaning Introductory Page

Spring Cleaning Recipes

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen Day One

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen Day Two

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen Day Three

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen Day Four

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen Day Five

Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen Day Six (newly updated with cabinet instructions)

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom Day One

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom Day Two

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom Day Three

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom Day Four

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom Day Five

Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom Day Six

Spring Cleaning Your Family Room Day One

Sound Off: Are you a book collector? Do you use any websites for sharing your books or keep a virtual bookshelf anywhere?

Happy Easter, Take Two

Heartwarming, isn't it? The two children holding hands and whispering to each other. Until you realize that they are whispering, "Let's fight the evil forces that try to tell us that eating candy is bad for us. Let's stand together as one army and tell them NO! Our candy consumption will not stop. We will make them crazy. We will cry and scream until midnight each night and then blame them for being tired in the morning. They will not bring us down. They can't force us to not be gluttons. We will hold our tummies in pain and point to them for making our lives miserable."

This is why there are never any pictures of me, "Please honey! Quick take a picture of me with the kids." This is when my children riot against me and cry and throw themselves. Does it really pain them so to be in a picture with me? Am I really that bad of a mom that you can't PRETEND to be happy for one moment with me? Why do I never get to be in any photos? Why do you guys taunt me like this?

No pictures of them together as it was mass chaos as soon as we arrived to our grandparent's house. I will relish these pictures as the Easter clothes were ruined swiftly. Emily proceeded to eat jelly beans and drip purple drool down the front of her dress and face. Ethan decided to take fluorescent markers to the sleeve of his sweater. Don't you know it is my dream to have more clothes to add to the laundry piles? At least we have these sweet moments on camera.

A sweet moment before the purple jelly beans are found. Grandpa stuffed them silly with sugar and waved us off in our car as we took the little sugar fiends home. Isn't that what grandparents do best? I can't wait to be a grandma one day and do the same thing!


We enjoyed a delicious meal fixed by grandma for our gang. These beautiful flowers were her centerpiece- a touch of spring for us as we look out the windows at the snow. Spring can't come soon enough for me!

Happy Easter, Take Two!

Mommy Interview: Holly Robinson Peete

The Hanes team contacted us to see if we would be interested in interviewing some of their moms from their spokesperson team. They have created a fun resource for parents and picked some amazing parents to represent their brand.

We look forward to sharing some really great mommy interviews with you and to inspire you to try new things with your children... like volunteering!

We got the opportunity to interview Holly Robinson Peete and chat with her about volunteering. Holly is an actress, author, mother, and runs a nonprofit organization, HollyRod, with a mission to help improve the quality of life of people plagued with devastating life circumstances inspired by her father's sad yet inspiring battle with Parkinson's Disease which ultimately took his life in 2002. HollyRod has expanded it's mission recently to include many children's causes focusing more pointedly on improving the quality of life of the children in the Gulf Coast post-Katrina and those who live in several townships of the surrounding areas of Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.


As a working mother, what is your biggest challenge when it comes to balancing work and motherhood?

Carving out time for myself…If I'm stressed, EVERYONE is stressed! My kids and family are my number one priority, but sometimes I just need to focus on me! When I take time for myself, whether it’s going to a yoga class (it’s amazing what breathing can do!), going to a spa or just walking our dog, I feel recharged, re-balanced and ready to take on anything!

You are a very active volunteer and have made great strides in building and creating your own nonprofit organization. What are some ways that moms can begin adding volunteer work and community outreach to their mommy resumes?

Figure out what issue speaks most loudly to you and focus on that cause. While I encourage any volunteer service, I also think it’s important to take the time to seek out a program you’ll stick with. Ask your place of worship if they have any affiliate activities, search online for local community outreach, or ask friends and family. If you educate yourself before making a decision, you’ll find a cause that feels right and one that you’re more likely to stay committed to.

Also, be realistic about how your volunteer service will fit into your life and don’t offer more than you can give. I strongly believe we all have a responsibility to give back in some shape or form, but as women and mothers, we do have additional time challenges.

Do your children volunteer? How have you been able to show them the importance of making an effort in other people’s lives?

Our children understand how noble philanthropy is and that it is mandatory if you are a 'Peete!' As parents, my husband and I are really trying to live up to the adage that actions speak louder than words. We try to show the kids a world that’s beyond their own lives and most recently took them to the shanty towns of South Africa. We also make sure to volunteer with them and we regularly sponsor Christmas for several families by dressing up like Santa and delivering gifts. I’ve found that volunteering makes our children more aware of the world around them and of themselves.

Can you share with us your favorite family traditions?

Kwanzaa is a beautiful holiday that we love to celebrate. The kids learn more about their culture during those 7 days than they do all year at school.

I also just love my kids’ birthdays. Each year I try and carve out some time for just me and the birthday boy or girl (or twins!) to celebrate and this time is usually spent making something together. We’ve made chocolate chip pancakes, photo collages, string bracelets and special birthday tees. Hanes has the best tees to do this – not only are they super-soft and comfy (not to mention tagless), but they’re the perfect “canvas” to work with. We’ve tie-dyed, puffy painted, used our hands and feet dipped in paint – you name it, we’ve done it!